NIC opens enrolment for 2018 Robotics, Tech Explorers summer camps

Students aged 9 to 12 will get the chance to build Lego robots as part of NICBotcamps and Tech Explorers camps this summer.

NIC is launching a new summer camp for kids this summer. 

The Tech Explorers Camp introduces students to coding, Lego robotics and snap circuits. Tech Explorers will run in addition to the college’s successful NICBotCamps, which are back by popular demand this summer.

Both camps teach students, aged 9 to 12, vital science, technology, engineering and math skills. NICBotcamps teach students to build, program and control Lego robots, while Tech Explorers also touches on multiple disciplines of technology, in addition to Lego robots.

“Everyone loves building Lego but these camps added a new element of programming,” said Naomi Tabata, manager of NIC’s Centre for Applied Research, Technology and Innovation (CARTI). “Programming is an essential component to BC’s new curriculum and gives students the foundational skills and affinity to work in the rapidly growing technology sector.”

In 2017, 149 students including 37 girls took part in nine camps across the region.

“The first two years of Robotics camps were very popular with kids throughout the region, we’re thrilled to be able to bring them back this year and expand our offerings with the new Tech Explorers camps,” said Tabata.

The week-long NICBotcamps are already open for registration across the region. The first camps are scheduled in Port Hardy starting July 3, with additional camps scheduled in Campbell River, Port Alberni, Gold River, Ucluelet and the Comox Valley. The Tech Explorer camps are available only in Campbell River and the Comox Valley this year.

For more information on the camps, including a video, full schedule and registration information, visit NIC's Robotics page.